Washington DC– Following the passage of H.R. 4366, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, by the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 6, the U.S. Senate passed the bill, and the President signed it into law on Friday, March 8. The legislation included six out of 12 appropriations bills passed by Congress annually to fund the federal government. Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17) voted in favor of the legislative package, securing federal funding for multiple projects across the 17^th Congressional District of Texas.

Congressman Pete Sessions released the following statement:

“Across the country, the bank accounts of millions of Americans are being drained by persistent and high inflation,” said Congressman Pete Sessions. “This is in large part due to trillions in federal spending for Democrat-led leftist priorities. In contrast, House Republicans committed to putting an end to this wasteful spending. The final Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations bill does that by strategically increasing defense spending while making targeted cuts to wasteful non-defense programs.

I am also proud to have secured over $33 million in federal funding for critical projects in Central and East Texas. This funding bolsters the economic growth of our communities, strengthens our infrastructure, and increases our competitiveness throughout our state. I will continue to work closely with my colleagues to ensure that the critical community projects that are important to Texas families, workers, and small businesses are funded.”

TX-17 Wins Codified Today:

1. Flat Creek Reuse Project

• Amount secured: $1,000,000
• Recipient: City of Waco, Texas
• Project description: The funding is allocated for the Flat Creek Reuse Project to repurpose highly treated effluent. The project aims to add 7.5 million gallons per day of treated water for use by businesses in the City of Waco and McLennan County. Funds will be used for new storage tanks and pumps at the Waco Regional Wastewater Treatment plant and Waco Industrial Park to supply treated effluent for irrigation and industrial use over an area of 3,600 acres housing over 50 businesses.

2. Arctic Acclimatization & Sleep Optimization (ARKTOS) Research Center

• Amount Secured: $1,000,000
• Recipient: Baylor University
• Project Description: Baylor University is a nationally recognized research institution with R1 status, equipping the university to make advancements and solve significant challenges for Texas and the United States. This project request would fund the development of a research and testing facility to develop rapid acclimatization protocols and technologies, human-machine teaming, and group dynamics in multi-stressor arctic environments by examining sleep, cognitive and physical performance during mountaineering, marksmanship, flight, mining, and construction tasks needed to achieve national dominance in the arctic. This lab will conduct basic, translational, and applied research with the sole focus on accelerating the acclimatization process and performance optimization of military in complex, multi-stressor environments to solidify dominance of the United States and its allies in future multi-domain theatres of conflict.

3. Material Science Laboratory

• Amount Secured: $1,175,000
• Recipient: Baylor University
• Project Description: Baylor University is a nationally recognized research institution with R1 status, equipping the university to make advancements and solve significant challenges for Texas and the United States. This funding would be used to support an expansion of Baylor’s materials testing capabilities through the purchase of additional equipment that will be used by multiple research programs across Baylor’s campus. The expansion proposed in this project allows for new areas of metallurgical testing and component inspection by providing non-destructive testing systems and equipment to allow researchers to understand and study the composition of metals and other materials, as well as test their durability, without compromising their structures. Research and development of advanced materials is noted several times throughout this section of the authorizing code section, and this project would support those research activities given its investment in materials development.

4. East Texas Law Enforcement Training Project

• Amount Secured: $569,000
• Recipient: Sam Houston State University
• Project Description: This request would be used to stand up a regional training project to prepare law enforcement and corrections agencies across the State of Texas with the skills and tools necessary to better utilize data and inform decisions. Further, the project will provide law enforcement with in-depth training and tools related to de-escalation tactics to prepare them for potentially violent situations. This project will enhance officer and citizen safety by providing law enforcement agencies throughout Texas’s 17th Congressional District with quality and accessible law enforcement training, technical assistance, and crime analysis.

5. East Texas Maintenance Facility

• Amount Secured: $1,000,000
• Recipient: Brazos Transit District
• Project Description: This request would be used to construct an East Texas Maintenance Facility for the Brazos Transit District’s East Texas operations in Nacogdoches and Angelina Counties. This project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will maximize operating time for BTD vehicles in East Texas and ensure reliable and safe service for riders and the traveling public.

6. Future I-69/U.S. 59/U.S. 259 Interchange Reconstruction

• Amount Secured: $3,000,000
• Recipient: City of Nacogdoches, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used to reconstruct the existing US 59/US 259 interchange to allow safer and more efficient traffic flow between US 59 and US 259. The project will bring the interchange to Interstate standards, allowing it to be connected to the Interstate 69 corridor. Completion of this project will enhance mobility, safety, and cargo transport along the future Interstate 69 corridor.

7. Southeast Loop Connection Project

• Amount Secured: $5,000,000
• Recipient: Williamson County, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used for the construction of a frontage road to complete the Southeast Loop connection between SH 130 and US 79. The project will increase mobility and connectivity for local residents to jobs, schools, and retail areas. This project will provide a critical route for residents to access nearby jobs at the developing significant commercial and industrial facilities and will link state roadways to economic generators such as the RCR Freight Facility and the City of Hutto Industrial Mega Site.

8. Angelina County Airport Runway Extension

• Amount Secured: $4,883,220
• Recipient: Angelina County Airport
• Project Description: This request would fund initial stages of runway expansion – to include land acquisition, surveying, and environmental studies. This project will enable the airport to accommodate larger aircraft and therefore enhance economic development opportunities in Lufkin, Angelina County, and deep East Texas. Additionally, this airport is one of two transportation hubs for FEMA hurricane relief supplies to be delivered to the Texas Gulf Coast.

9. City of Waco STEM Center

• Amount Secured: $3,500,000
• Recipient: City of Waco, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used to retrofit the existing Bledsoe-Miller Recreational Center on the Brazos River to house a new STEM Center.  This STEM Center would increase access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics focused field-based learning experiences.  In addition to the K-12 after-school programming linked to STEM careers, the new STEM Center will support Title I school activities to include as field trips, encouraging citizen science projects, and integrated maker activities.

10. Speegleville Road Bridge over the Middle Bosque River Bridge Replacement

• Amount Secured: $2,000,000
• Recipient: City of Waco, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used to replace the functionally obsolete two-lane bridge on Speegleville Road with a four-lane bridge including shoulders and sidewalks. The project will include roadway alignment to accommodate bridge widening. This project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because traffic is significantly increased on the bridge as a result of the nearby River Valley Intermediate School transitioning to River Valley Middle School, and subsequently increasing the student population to 1,300.

11. Sanger Heights Housing Development

• Amount Secured: $3,000,000
• Recipient: City of Waco, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used to complete rehabilitation and infrastructure improvements as part of the Sanger Heights Housing Development project which will include twenty-six homes, fourteen of which will be for low-and-moderate income families.

12. Calvert East Water System Replacement

• Amount Secured: $2,250,000
• Recipient: City of Calvert, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used to replace the 100-year-old water transmission infrastructure in part of the city, including water lines servicing schools and a section of Housing Authority residences. The current water system is inadequate due to high loss rate, inadequate fire suppression, lead couplings recommended for removal by EPA, and overall degradation and age of system.

13. Livestock Sustainability Monitoring Network at the McGregor Research Station

• Amount Secured: $3,000,000
• Recipient: Texas A&M AgriLife Research, McGregor Research Center
• Project Description: This funding would be used to implement a statewide monitoring network headquartered at the McGregor Research Center for losses of carbon and nitrogen from rangelands, pastures, and cattle feeding, supplemented with region-specific measurement systems for the emissions and waste products (e. g., manure, wastewater).

14. Old McGregor Road/Highway 84 Water Capacity Enhancement

• Amount Secured: $1,000,000
• Recipient: City of Woodway, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used to replace the aging existing water line with a higher capacity 12-inch diameter water line along Old McGregor Road/Highway 84. This line is critical to the City’s ability to receive water from the Waco water system and thus to sustain growing demand for the City of Woodway.

15. N.B. Davidson Wastewater Treatment Plant Rehabilitation

• Amount Secured: $1,000,000
• Recipient: City of Huntsville, Texas
• Project Description: This funding would be used to make necessary improvements and rehabilitation work at the City of Huntsville’s N.B. Davidson Wastewater Treatment Plant. This request will be used to install a new headworks to allow for additional capacity and complete redundancy. The rehabilitation project will supply necessary increased water capacity to accommodate the population while also maintaining clean water quality standards in the Lake Conroe and Elkins Lake.